Cape Town | Reuters — More penguins have died from avian flu at the colony at Cape Town’s Boulders beach, a popular tourist attraction and an important breeding site in South Africa, raising concerns for the species and for other seabirds. David Roberts, a clinical veterinarian at the South African Foundation For The Conservation Of […] Read more
More penguins dying of avian flu at Cape Town colony
Visitors urged to disinfect shoes to prevent virus' spread elsewhere
Russia says annual grain harvest to grow thanks to ‘new territories’
London | Reuters — Russia’s grain harvest is set to grow by about five million tonnes a year thanks to its incorporation of four Ukrainian territories, Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said Tuesday. “Considering the arable land that exists there, I think at least five million tonnes of grain will be added to the Russian savings […] Read more
U.K. is asked to reconsider ag tariff in Trans-Pacific talks
Tokyo | Reuters — Japan, Australia and other members of a trans-Pacific trade pact have asked Britain to reconsider tariff conditions in its entry negotiation talks, Jiji news reported on Monday. Britain has opposed expanding the target of tariff-free items, particularly among agricultural products, to near 100 per cent as set by the Comprehensive and […] Read more
Bunge to sell oilseed processing business in Russia
Grain firms scaling back Russian business
Reuters — Agricultural commodities trader Bunge said Monday it has agreed to sell its oilseed processing business in Russia to Karen Vanetsyan, the controlling shareholder of Exoil Group. The sale includes the sunflower processing plant in Voronezh. Bunge and its rivals ADM, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus — part of the so-called ABCD quartet of global […] Read more
One-third of China’s land protected under ecological ‘red line’ scheme
Authorities crack down on farm encroachment
Shanghai | Reuters — Nearly a third of China’s land is now off-limits to development under a scheme known as the “ecological protection red line,” a senior official said at a news briefing on Monday, bringing the country in accord with global biodiversity targets. China first proposed its “red line” scheme in 2011 to put […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures fall
Cattle futures mixed
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures fell on Wednesday, turning lower on a round of profit-taking after the most-active December contract hit its highest in more than three weeks early in the trading session. Cattle futures were mixed, with live cattle contracts easing for the second day in a row while feeder cattle futures […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures slip from seven-year peak
Hogs up on technical buying
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell after hitting their highest in seven years on Monday. Feeder cattle futures continued to weaken, with the front-month contract dropping to a five-week low, as the prospect of high feeding costs due to strong corn prices pressured the market. Hog futures firmed on technical […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle down on quiet cash trade
Hog futures narrowly mixed
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures weakened on Wednesday as quiet trade on the cash market fortified concerns about light demand, traders said. Hog futures were narrowly mixed, with short-covering providing support, while worries that a firm U.S. dollar will chill export demand for pork added pressure. Benchmark CME October live cattle […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle climb on cash market optimism
Lean hog futures also close higher
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures rose on Tuesday on hopes that the pace of slaughter of both cattle and hogs will pick up after slowing down for the U.S. Labor Day holiday weekend. Short-covering was also noted in hog futures after the front-month contract sank to its lowest since Feb. 9 […] Read more
Canada, China agree to suspend WTO canola dispute
Lifting of canola ban renders case moot
Berlin | Reuters — Canada and China have agreed to suspend proceedings against Chinese measures affecting the importation of Canadian canola seed, according to a World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint on Thursday. The WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) panel suspended its work as of Tuesday, the complaint said. Work can be suspended at any time […] Read more